Nine of the best Easter egg decoration ideas

Crafty kids: Easter is a great time to encourage creativityCredit:
Getty

31 March 2017 • 11:30am

Natalia Lubomirski

Ready for some next-level Easter crafting? Here are some fun and fabulous Easter egg decoration ideas.

Easter. It’s not just about stuffing yourself senseless with delicious roasts and yummy eggs. It’s also about craft goals.

And whether you want to subtly slay your friends with your incredible decorations (Oh those? Yeah, I just fancied making something…) or go all out at the annual family Easter egg comp – we’ve got the tips and tricks you need to win at egg life…

Before you get decorating, you’ll want to dye your eggs (it’s easier to do this with the raw yolk and white still inside, weighing them down). You can buy egg-dying kits or make your own. In a jar, mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 20 drops of food colouring (Tesco has a range of colours), and a cup (around 240ml) of warm water.

Soak for up to five minutes to create light colours and 10 minutes or more for darker shades. Remove with tongs and leave to dry completely.

Once dyed and dry, it’s best to blow your eggs to empty out the yolk and white. Use a drawing pin or needle to make two small holes at either end of the egg, then gently widen (NB the one at the bottom should be about twice as big to allow the contents of the egg to come out).

Reach through the larger hole with a needle, wire, or toothpick, and break the yolk up to make it easier to come out. Place a thin straw to the small hole at the top of the egg and blow air through the straw and into the egg, letting the insides flow out from the larger hole until the egg is empty. Now you’re ready to decorate it!

Wax design eggs

Use a crayon to draw a design, message or name on a lightly dyed or undyed egg, then submerge the egg in dye for 10 minutes. Let it dry, then place it on a foil-lined baking sheet in an oven preheated to 250C. The wax will start to melt and go shiny after about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, use a kitchen towel to wipe off the wax and you’ll be left with a distinct design.

Simple yet striking: wax design eggs are easy to createCredit:
Getty

Leaf-print eggs

Before dying and blowing eggs, place your small leaf or flower onto the egg. Get an old pair of fine nylon tights (a pale colour is best so you can see your leaf) and cut into 4in squares (note, the nylon should be flat – not doubled).

Place your leaf onto the piece of tights, position the egg on top of the leaf and then cover tightly with the tights material (so the dye doesn’t seep behind the leaf), and secure with a wire twist-tie. Dye the eggs as normal – when you remove the tights and leaf, you’ll be left with a pretty reverse-stencil effect.

Marble eggs

For a really simple yet impressive effect, you can create beautiful marbled eggs. Start by dying your egg in a pale shade. Then, in a small shallow bowl, combine three cups of warm water, a tablespoon of vinegar and 15 to 20 drops of food colouring and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Stir a fork through the mixture, then place the egg in it and gently roll it around so it picks up traces of the darker dye, before gently patting dry with a tissue.

Silk dyed eggs

If you have an old patterned silk scarf you’re not especially precious about, you can use it to make beautifully decorated eggs. Simply wrap the eggs in the silk and boil them in vinegar water. When you unwrap them the pattern from the scarf transfers to the egg.

Subtle elegance: use an old scarf to make silk-dyed eggs Credit:
Getty

Baby bird eggs

For a sweet but simple display, blow out three baby blue eggs (Tesco finest* Mixed Size Blue Eggs, £1.90 for six, are perfect). Use coloured paper to create an orange diamond-shaped beak (fold it so it looks like it’s open) and a pair of blue wings and glue to each chick.

Draw on eyes with a marker pen, then cut thin strips of brown paper and roughly weave together to form a nest around them.

Gold-leaf eggs

You’ll need gold-leaf glue, a paint brush and a pencil. Draw your design – simple shapes work best, like a heart or bunny head. Paint this with the gold leaf glue and then place a sheet of gold leaf over the top.

Lightly tap it, then wait a second before lifting the edges up so the leaf transfers to your design. Or for a fuss-free yet equally effective alternative, use gold temporary tattoos.

Edible eggs

Finally, if none of these ideas is remotely chocolatey enough for you, why not make your own Easter eggs. First temper the chocolate. Melt Tesco finest* Swiss Chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot, not boiling water. Place a cooking thermometer into the chocolate and heat until it reaches 43C/110F.

Remove from the heat and cool to 35C/95F. It’s now ready to use. Spoon chocolate into each egg mould until coated, tipping out any excess. Leave to set for 20 minutes, and repeat two or three times, drawing the flat edge of a knife across the chocolate each time to create a clean edge. Chill in the fridge until set.

Remove from the moulds, heat a baking sheet and then place the edges of two halves on it for a few seconds, before gently pushing them together. Decorate with coloured icing.

Speckled robin eggs

For a really easy but stunning effect, dye eggs blue, then add speckles by using an old toothbrush to flick brown paint onto them.

Decoupaged eggs

For a really pretty effect, cut up a printed paper napkin and stick it to the egg with découpage glue. The glue dries to leave a smooth, shiny coating, giving your egg a hand-painted effect.

Enjoy the finest Easter

Easter is almost here and with it four lovely days of relaxing, food and fun.

To help you make the most of the holiday, the Telegraph has partnered with Tesco finest* to help you have your best Easter yet.

For simple and delicious recipes, clever Easter food hacks, and brilliant ideas for days out and indoors, visit tgr.ph/tescofinest